Asthma Info

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Asthma is not just merely one kind of
sickness. There are other types of it such as asthmatic bronchitis. Asthma and
bronchitis are two conditions concerning inflamed airways but they have
different causes. The latter is due to infections by viruses and bacteria which
make the airways to be inflamed while former makes the muscles to tighten and narrow the airways. More often, infections come from environmental
irritants like chemicals, cigarette smoke and dust.

When both of them exist at the same
time, then it is called asthmatic bronchitis. The illness is triggered by:

Allergens like pollen, food, pet
dander or dust.

Particular medications such as
beta-blocker and aspirin.

Excessive cardiovascular activities

Change in weather (hot from cold and vice
versa)

Strong emotions such as crying, anger
and laughing.

Symptoms of asthmatic bronchitis are:

Wheezing

Excessive production of production

Chest becomes tight

Shortness of breath

Cough

It is important to see the doctor
immediately when one is experiencing the symptoms mentioned above. Early
treatment is the best way of dealing with the illness. Medications must be
applied as soon as possible the illness occurs because for sure we do not want
to worsen the situation.

Moreover, there are myths that it is
contagious since it falls under bronchitis which is caused by contagious
viruses and bacteria. However, we need not to worry as asthmatic bronchitis per
se is not contagious at all.

To prevent this, one must not have
too much exposure with the factors that triggers it. As much as possible, one
must be neat around his/her surrounding as dust is one of the factors that trigger
asthmatic bronchitis.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

The most common
cause of asthma people know of is allergies. At times, we see stress to cause
shortness of breath. And we encourage people with asthma to be involved in physical activities to overcome this
illness. But did you know that some exercises and sports actually trigger
asthma? For some, this is their main trigger.

The condition is
called exercise-induced asthma (EIA) or exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB). But having such doesn’t mean you can
no longer be involved in physical exercises. Some people who are properly
treated with this illness can compete in sports and some even succeed.

What triggers EIA is exercising in cold dry air. But wearing
a mask or breathing through the nose can help keep warm and moist air be inhaled.
Doing warm-up and cold-down exercises will also prevent abrupt changes which
trigger asthma symptoms.

When you feel symptoms on asthma after exercising or doing
sports, this can be an indication that you have EIA. The best way to treat this
is pre-treatment. Even before you start a physical activity, you should take
medication so the narrowing of airway can be blocked. You may opt for
short-acting inhaled beta-agonists or rescue drugs which can be effectively used to
prevent symptoms. Eighty percent of asthma patients have eliminated their
symptoms on EIA.

Long-acting inhaled beta-agonists can also be used for EIA
treatment. The treatment can last up to 12 hours. This can be wonderful for
students with PE classes. They can take the treatment before going to school
and still be protected during PE time.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Asthma is not just a simple illness
associated with difficulty in breathing. It has no cure but it can be treated
and attacks can be prevented as well as managed. Even the most exact factors
that cause it are still unidentified. Based on health records, several asthmatics have risked their lives
because they were not able to handle the illness when it attacked. There are
times that it occurs frequently while there are also times that it only comes
once or twice a year, depending on the person’s activity.

Thus, it is significant to grasp
and comprehend the changes taking place in asthma including how the person
feels and behave during asthma attacks.

Due to unidentified cause of this
illness there are several facts and myths about it. Here are some:

First, a
person with asthma is triggering the illness in order to get everyone’s
attention. In short, it’s just “all in the mind.” This is definitely
false. One cannot really fake and act as
if they are having asthma attack. However, emotional conditions can provoke it.
They are named as globus hystericus, factious asthma and spastic dysphonia.

Second, asthma will later be
outgrown by the person. This is false, too. According to statistics, 50 percent
of children with this illness were not able to experience it during their
teenage life. Yet, asthma may still be active and occur during adulthood.

Lastly, asthma runs in the blood.
If the family has history of the illness the next generation could likely
acquire it. This is true. There is 70 percent probability that the child may
acquire asthma if both of the parents have it while 30 percent chance if one of
the parents only. There is 6 percent probability of acquiring the illness if
none of the parent has it.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

For many years, a huge variety of asthma medications have
been formulated by scientists and prescribed by doctors. In fact, many parents
have tried using different asthma treatments for their kids. And although we
know that asthma is a long-term disease which cannot be cured, the aim of these
different treatments is to control the disease.

Basically, the asthma medications are classified into two:
Controller Asthma medicines and Quick Relief Asthma medicines. At the very first
instance of an asthma symptom, the controller medicine should be administered
to prevent making it worse. Examples of controllers are Inhaled corticosteroids (Flovent HFA,Aerobid,Asmanex,Pulmicort), Theophylline, Advair, Leukotriene receptor antagonists (Zyflo, Singulair,and Accolate),
Long-acting beta2agonists, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
controller , and Xolairinjections for those with allergic asthma.

Quick Relief Asthma
Medicines are those that provide instant relief during an asthma attack. When a
child has asthma symptoms, they are commonly given a nebulizer or an
inhaler. Other asthma medicines include Terbutaline, Levaluterol, Albuterol, Pirbuterol, and Atrovent. Oral asteroids can be taken as an asthma
treatment. Older kids can swallow pills while younger ones can take syrups.

To make it easier for
parents to understand which medication should be given to their child in
different situations, an asthma action plan should be utilized. If you do not
have this plan yet, you may consider asking a doctor or Pediatric Pulmonologist
to learn how to manage asthma and educate yourselves more.

Learning how to control
asthma will help prevent chronic symptoms, reduce the need for quick relief
medicines, help maintain good lung function, and of course, lets you maintain
normal activity and sleep soundly during the night.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

I guess we’re all familiar with how asthma attacks. People
feel shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. People may
have experience these attacks everyday. Treatment for the disease is readily
available at the counter or prescribed by the doctor. But what we ought to know
is what causes asthma? Here is one sure thing, the causes of asthma symptoms
vary from different people.

One thing consistent when asthma is triggered is that the
airways become inflamed, narrowed, and filled with mucus. The resistance of
airways increases which makes it difficult to breathe.

Despite the uncertainty of asthma causes, one can figure out
how it is triggered and can avoid attacks to himself, friend, or a loved
one. For some people, allergies play a
big role in their asthma. And this can be traced in their family history.
Allergies form a strong genetic component for asthma, thus, this is called
allergic asthma. One should be aware what causes his or her allergies to reduce
the severity of its attacks.

In a research, eighty percent of people who have asthma have
allergies brought about by substances found in grass, animal dander, dust
mites, weed pollens, and cockroach particles. Already figured out what causes
your allergy? Here are some of the most common allergies in food and food
additives:

Peanuts

Fish

Shrimp and other shellfish

Egg

Cow’s milk

Salads and other fruits

Some food additives like sodium
metabisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium sulphite and sodium bisulfite which
are commonly used in food processing also causes allergic asthma.

Other asthmas are caused by environmental pollution. As
early as the warning symptoms of asthma, medication should be taken as described
in asthma action plan.